1. Field
The present disclosure relates to refrigeration managing apparatuses for controlling multiple cooling devices, such as showcases, refrigerators, freezers, or air conditioners, that are installed in a store such as a supermarket and that have refrigeration cycles, and for controlling multiple refrigerant supply devices that supply refrigerants to the multiple cooling devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a store such as a supermarket, operation states of multiple cooling devices, such as showcases or air conditioners, that are installed in the store and that have refrigeration cycles are centrally controlled by a refrigeration managing apparatus. In recent years, it has been considered that, by effectively controlling devices (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “equipment”) that consume electric power, such as the cooling devices and refrigerant supply devices, the power consumption of the equipment is reduced.
For this reason, development of refrigeration managing apparatuses and cooling systems has started. The refrigeration managing apparatuses are also referred to as integration controllers that integrally manage pieces of equipment. In the cooling systems, the individual pieces of equipment are connected to each other using communication lines, and an integration controller integrally performs control on the pieces of equipment via the communication lines while sections of the control corresponding to the individual pieces of equipment are being performed in cooperation with one another.
Note that, typically, one refrigerant piping group is formed, in which one cooling device or multiple cooling devices are connected in parallel to one refrigerant supply device via a refrigerant pipe. More specifically, one refrigeration cycle is formed by connecting a refrigerant compressor of a refrigerant supply device, a condenser, a decompressor, an evaporator of at least one cooling device in a loop. One refrigerant piping group is formed so as to have the one refrigeration cycle. Multiple refrigerant piping groups may exist. A refrigerant output from the refrigerant supply device flows through the refrigerant pipe, and then supplied to each of the cooling devices.
The cooling device has at least an evaporator therein. For example, in a case of refrigeration equipment, a chilling showcase, a freezing showcase (hereinafter, which are collectively referred to as “showcases”), or the like serves as the cooling device. Furthermore, for example, in a case of air conditioning equipment, an inside unit or the like serves as the cooling device. The refrigerant supply device is a device having a refrigerant compressor that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser, a decompressor, and so forth therein. For example, in the case of refrigeration equipment, a freezing device or the like serves as the refrigerant supply device. Moreover, for example, in the case of air conditioning equipment, an outdoor unit or the like serves as the refrigerant supply device.
As an example of control that is performed in order to reduce the power consumption of equipment, for each refrigerant piping group, an integration controller of a cooling system detects the operation state of one cooling device or the operation states of multiple cooling devices, and controls one refrigerant supply device as necessary. However, in order to perform the above-mentioned control, it is necessary to determine the one cooling device or the multiple cooling devices and the one refrigerant supply device in each refrigerant piping group.
For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-214689, a technique is disclosed, in which outdoor units that are refrigerant supply devices are activated on a one-by-one basis, and in which refrigerant piping groups are determined on the basis of changes in data measured in individual indoor units. Furthermore, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-14280, a technique is disclosed, in which, first, all outdoor units are activated, in which, then, the outdoor units are stopped on a one-by-one basis, and in which refrigerant piping groups are determined on the basis of changes in data measured in individual indoor units.
In recent years, the size of stores tends to increase, and the number of pieces of refrigeration equipment increases with increasing size of stores. Accordingly, when a technique in which refrigerant piping groups are determined by operating refrigerant supply devices on a one-by-one basis as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-214689 and No. 2009-14280 is used, the number of refrigerant piping groups increases with increasing number of refrigerant supply devices. Accordingly, the time taken to determine the refrigerant piping groups increases.